Some time ago, I was taking a course with art director, writer, and educator Guillaume Lamarre, and during one of the sessions, he said something that deeply resonated with me. He explained his theory that our brain is like a garden that we must constantly cultivate using three ecologies: the physical, the cultural, and the spiritual. When I thought about this idea, I couldn't help but feel that the garden and the ecologies Guillaume referred to are encapsulated within something more significant, which dictates how we use these ecologies to cultivate our own garden.
This "something" is freedom, of course. Speaking of freedom can be complex and, in certain cases, even a controversial topic. Following the theme of "Warrior in a Garden," I won't search for the meaning of freedom in the context of whether "x" is better than "y" or vice versa. Instead, I'll focus on offering a perspective on how we, as individuals, should perceive freedom.
First, we need to take a moment to understand how society perceives freedom. It's worth mentioning that, much like ethics, its meaning and interpretation will vary depending on a society's historical context, culture, individual experiences, and the type of knowledge and approach people take. But to summarize, two of the most common interpretations of freedom are as follows:
Equality of Opportunity: There's the view that freedom is the fundamental pillar of equal opportunities, as it provides everyone with the same chance to develop. However, their success will depend on how each individual seizes and executes those opportunities. Therefore, it's understood that each person can choose their own lifestyle and how they perceive and experience reality.
Absence of Restrictions: On the other hand, there's the perception that freedom is synonymous with the absence of restrictions, where each individual acts and makes decisions according to their own criteria, regardless of external influences. In this view, the individual has autonomy over their life, meaning they are solely responsible for the outcomes of their choices, whether positive or negative.
While people often fall in love with just one of these concepts—either equality of opportunity or absence of restrictions—most don't realize that both share a crucial aspect: the relationship between the individual and their environment and how one's actions affect not only themselves but the collective as well.
As I mentioned in this piece titled "Warrior in a Garden," I'll offer you a new way of perceiving freedom, though only you can decide whether to embrace, adapt, or reject it.
Freedom is not about lawlessness but rather structure. Of course, we must know how to differentiate between freedom and lawlessness.
Freedom refers to the autonomy we all have to make decisions in line with our values, beliefs, and goals while always bearing in mind that these choices have consequences, which can be either positive or negative. On the other hand, lawlessness is the abuse of this autonomy, where our actions disregard the potential consequences.
But here's the kicker—just because we have autonomy doesn't mean there shouldn't be regulatory frameworks. And be careful; those regulations aren't made, or shouldn't be made, to take away our freedom but rather to provide us with a structure where everyone benefits. After all, one person's rights end when they begin to infringe on another's.
If there were only one person in the world, they wouldn't need regulations since their decisions would only affect themselves. But that's not our reality—there are over 8 billion lives on this planet, and the decisions of one individual or group can sometimes impact thousands, if not millions, of people.
Human beings are complex. No wonder there's a saying: "You can't please everyone." And within this complexity, a single person can't make all the decisions. Just think—when you're hungry and trying to decide what to eat, sometimes you spend more time choosing than eating! Now, imagine decisions that go beyond a simple meal and impact personal or social aspects of life. In societal matters, we use tools like voting or opinion forums to find a balance that benefits everyone, guided by the majority's will, since we hope that what the majority chooses will be best for all.
But on a personal level, how do we achieve balance?
- Step 1: Establish knowledge, continuous learning, and constant questioning as a foundation. In other words, maintain an insatiable hunger for comprehensive knowledge while specializing in critical areas of interest. And once you've acquired that knowledge, question everything you know.
Why constantly question what you know? Because it's the only way to realize that you are a lifelong learner and to acknowledge that there's always something new to learn and that every situation, whether good or bad, brings new knowledge.
- Step 2: Once you've mastered the first step, you'll move on to something that might shock you—removing the blindfold from your eyes. You start doing this while walking the endless path of continuous learning, but you'll only entirely remove it by exposing yourself to different environments and perspectives. Only then will you see reality, not as you wish it to be, but as it truly is.
- Step 3: The third step is humility, empathy, and freedom. The first two are gained from the previous steps. Still, freedom is achieved when, having freed yourself from the constraints of your environment, prejudices, and opinions, you choose to be authentic to your own ideas, values, and beliefs. You establish a structure based on knowledge, questioning everything, empathy, and humility.
That's why freedom brings not lawlessness but structure.
Satoricha ~
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